Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Everyone:)

It's still Christmas in our house, so I can still say "Merry Christmas!" The decorations won't be packed up until Tim is sick of them. I LOVE Christmas!! We enjoyed a nice warm Christmas in Florida and are back home. We still think it's cold, but now we have warm weather clothes, so it's better. Somehow, flip-flops & shorts didn't match North Carolina's winter!!

Accident or Blessing...?

Remember the accident we had back in Nov.? We just got a call from the insurance company asking to see the damage to the vehicle. We explained that we weren't hurt and there was no damage to the vehicle and even if there was it was so slight that we wouldn't need it fixed. The insurance company said that they would determine any damage and we could do whatever we wanted with the settlement. So, we arranged a time to inspect the truck. The inspector came out and did determine that there was damage done. When he was finished he wrote us a check. We had enough money to pay bills with a little left over for Christmas. So, you tell me, was our accident really an accident or a blessing?

Meadow Lights

We started a new Christmas tradition this year:) We went to see the Meadow Lights. It's an amazing display of Christmas Lights. The pictures don't show what it really looks like. You get to take a train ride all over the property for a close up look. And of course, there is the old-fashion candy store!! PS: Gina, did you see the penguins?!?!

Mylanie-isms

Kids can say the most hilarious things.

Today while playing a game with some of our friends and losing--"I hate being in the behind." and "You can't kick my tail, I don't have one!!"

About the dead frogs beside the pool--"I rescued them, but I think I was too late"

During a Bible story about Moses & Pharoah when Moses said that not only was Pharaoh going to let Israel go, but also give the Israelites gifts. "And Pharaoh said, 'Who do you think I am, Santa Claus?!'"

First Baptist of Port Richey, FL

Today we had an update meeting with First Baptist of Port Richey. This is the very first church we presented Stillwater to one year ago:) Things have changed for them, too! Last year at this time, we were just staring out & they were trying to get the loan they needed for their new building. Now, they are in their brand new building & it looks awesome! It's always great to see old friends again. We love you Pastor Bond & Mrs. Sherry:)

Work Day:)

We spent this weekend working on the house! It's coming along slowly. We got a couch today and a few other pieces of furniture. At the end of next week, I'll post before and after pics so you can see what God has done. For now, here are some pics to prove that we're actually working!!

Me Painting

Yard work, just picking up sticks!!
Chris playing pyro!

Moving some furniture. Did you know that recliners come in pieces?!?

Grandma making her yummy rolls! We love you, Grandma!!

One of Our Thanksgiving Traditions:)

Every Thanksgiving we head to the beach & build a sandcastle. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time!! I am so thankful for my family. We had an awesome dinner & spent a great day together!!

Flip Flops & Short Sleeves!!

That's what I'm wearing today:) Florida is so nice & warm!!! We're having a great time with family & friends. For the next week and half, we'll be meeting with several churches about Jr. Camp & also the possibility of a Florida Teen Camp too! Hopefully by the end of the month we'll have next year's calendar ready. Already, we have 11 or 12 camp & conference booked for 2010!!

On the Road Again!!

As I type, we are heading to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with our family. We'll be meeting Tim's mom with her camper on the way down and have Thanksgiving at Wendy's parent's house. While we in Florida, we hope to set up the house and have it all ready for pastors & missionaries to use. If you know of any place that has inexpensive, nice house furnishings, let us know. We pretty much need everything from furnishings to linens to dishes!! Also, our dog, Diamond, heard about our accident and this is what he decided to do!!

Can you tell he's wearing a seatbelt?!?!

Lighthouse Teen Camp

This past couple of weeks, we had the opportunity to mentor Lighthouse Baptist Church with setting up their Teen Camp. We had a lot of fun helping them come up with a great schedule as well as setting up the fooseball court and an obstcale course. It felt very different to only be involved in the set up & take down and not be directly involved with the kids. Lighthouse had a great camp, 3 kids made disicions for Christ!!

In case you haven't heard, we had our first NC fender-bender. We are OK, not even a scratch!! We were stopped to turn left with a car behind us. A teenage girl was talking on her cell phone & hit the car behind us which hit us. Fortunately we were in the red truck and not the bug! Our back bumper is slightly bent and the hitch cover was broken. The license plate on the front of the other car wrapped around our tail pipe! Just yesterday I was complaining that my bug is broken, but today I am VERY thankful!! Everyone involved is OK, no injuries!! We can't say as much for the other two cars!! We were the only vehicle to drive away! Thank the Lord for his protection!!

Fall Foilage:)

We are enjoying the beauty. Mylanie wants to know, "Why does it have to be so cold?" My poor child is a Florida baby, and still has a hard time with bundling up!!

Teen Revival:)

We had a great teen revival this weekend, despite the fact that all the football playoff games on Friday got rained out and had to be played all day Sat:( We had around 30 teens attend and many of them made comittments live an addiction free life!!

Field Trip Day!!

I love our homeschool group! Today we had a field trip to Domino's Pizza in Clayton. We not only got to make our own pizza, but they also taught the kids about safe food preparation & storage. We had a great day!!

It's Sweet Potato Time!

Right now, the farmer's are harvesting crops. One of the big crops around here is sweet potatoes. The neat thing is after the field has been harvested, anyone is allowed to go into the field and pick up the leftovers. (Kinda reminds you of the story of Ruth...) So, we did!! Doesn't Mylanie look so proud of her sweet potato? By the way, the picnic table she's sitting on is one of the one Tim's been making out of pallet wood. He's been selling them on a regular basis!!

Oh Christmas Tree!!

Yes, I said Christmas Tree!! One of the greatest advantages to living on a large amount of property is that we get to pick our Christmas tree!! We went looking a bit this week and found one that we think might work. No, we are not going to cut it until after Thanksgiving, but I love Christmas time so much that we just had to look!! This will be the first live tree we've had. I'm sure that getting it cut & in the house will be fun, so we'll keep you posted!!

My Egyptian Princess

Doesn't she look like royalty? Laying there on the couch waiting for her servants to fetch her some food! I guess she'll be waiting a long time!!

Something Funny:)

Our washing machine tends to "walk" around a lot. Yesterday I was doing laundry & of course it started again. Mylanie ran out to check on it & suddenly the washer was calm, which is very unusual because I hadn't touched the washer yet. So, I had to take a peek, & this is what I found!!

Whoever said laundry was a chore?!?!

Happy Anniversary Stillwater!!!

It's hard to believe that this week marks one year that we said good bye to all in FL and started out full time for Stillwater. It's been an amazing year. From the highest of highs-3 Camps with 8 decisions for Christ; 2 Retreats for the first time; MANY wonderful & amazing blessings from God!! To the lowest of lows-saying good bye to FL; the homegoing of Dad Boone. Through it all we have seen God's amazing work. I can honestly say that we are not sorry that we took this GIANT step of faith. My family is housed, clothed, fed & happy--except Mylanie when she has to do Math:) We've been able to do some neat things and meet some incredible people of God. God has stretched us & used us & we are truly greatful to be busy in His work!!

NC State Fair

We went to the NC State Fair this week. I think the pictures say it all. We had a great time. Mylanie got to milk a cow & we got to feed a camel, a baby buffalo, 2 lamas, & many goats! We also came home with 10 packs of pancake mix-They just kept handing them out, free t-shirts, and many other crazy gagets!! We saw pig races, duck races & fireworks!!



Chicken with a bad hair day!!

Men's Retreat, 2009

Our first men's retreat was a great success. We had about 20 men attend. The human foosball court continues to be a favorite. Who would have guessed!?!? Everyone received a message from the Lord & we are looking forward to next year!!

I just have to share this!! Mylanie & I were doing dishes the other day & she was just singing away--"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His BFF." (For those of you who don't yet understand texting, BFF is Best Friends Forever!) Children quite often speak the truth!!

It's auction time!!

We had a great auction\yard sale today!! Once we auctioned the items that people were interested in, we stuck around for a while & had a yard sale. All in all we raised over $1300 for the camp!! We're inching closer to the needed amount to purchase the property. My house no longer looks like an out-of-control thrift store!! A special thank you to Russ & Judy Walton & Laura Utley for sticking around to help throughout the day. Thanks a bunch!!

Getting Ready for the Auction!!

This isn't even all the stuff!! There's more in another room, a trailer full outside, some stuff in the shed & things still to be picked up!! Please pray that lots of people will show up, that it won't rain (we're having it outdoors!) & that I won't have a heart attack!! Thank you so much to all who have donated items. A special thank you to Mrs. Judy for being my moral support tonight! I love you!!

We've Got A REAL Bed!!!

Most of you know that we sold most everything that wasn't absolutely necessary to move to NC. We were sleeping on a really nice air mattress for a while then we upgraded to a futon bed after Mylanie got her new bed. Well, now we (as in Tim & I) have a real bed!! It's funny the things that you don't realize that are luxeries until you don't have them for a while. It didn't bother us to sleep on the air mattress or anything, but it sure is nice to have real mattresses!!!

Happy Labor Day!!!

Yes, I do know that Labor Day was at the beginning of the month, but since we all worked on the real Labor Day, we decided to take today off. We slept in a bit this morning, which was REALLY nice!! Then we went to the aquarium to see the albino alligator and the beach to play in the waves. We had a great time "surfing" with tubes. Today was a great non-Labor day!!

Our First Homeschool Field Trip!!

Today Mylanie & I went on our first homeschool field trip. We have joined Johnston County Home Educators & they plan lots of neat activities for homeschool students. We went to Atkinson Mill. They grind corn into flour & such. They still use stones (powered by electricity of course!!) to grind the corn. Mylanie said that she had never seen so much flour in all her life!! It was really neat & Mylanie even made a new friend!!

Back Home Again!!

We arrived safe & sound & very uneventfully back home!! Tonight Tim started a "Fishing for Men" series on soul winning. It went very well. We hope to turn this into a seminar type series that will help many others.

Stillwater South!!

Today, my friend Gina & I painted this sign. Thanks Gina for your help!! We are looking forward to using our house as part of the ministry. We told the Lord that if He would provide the money for the house payments, we would use the house for him. We hope to have it open for churches, pastor's & missionaries to use as soon as possible. Please pray with us that we can get the house ready to be used as soon as possible. We do need to fix the air, refloor one of the rooms and find furnishings before it can be used. I want to say a special thank you to my mom, dad & brother, Tim's mom & Bill & Gina for all their help these past 2 days in cleaning the house & pool & for everything else!! Thanks also to all the people who are looking out for things for the house!! We are so blessed to have so many good friends!!

We are staying in Florida for a couple of days to take care of our house. The renters have moved out & it's time to see the damage & clean up. My parents teach at Fellowship, so that means Mylanie gets to go to real school for 2 days!! Here's what she thought of that!!

Of course, she loved it!! She got her work all finished early. Why can't she do that at home!! She had 2 fun days playing with her friends. Then it was on to our house. Here's what we found!!

Someone stripped all the copper out of the air conditioner!! They maybe got $200 at the very most for the copper, and now we are looking for another one before we can use the house in the ministry. The rest of the house is in good condition, just a little touch up paint & 1 room needs new flooring, but there are no holes in the walls!! Next, we got to watch my girls play volleyball. This was pretty much the same team I coached last year with the exception of one or two.

GO EAGLES!!! Then it was back to the house for more clean up. We were burning off some trash & saw a firetruck go by the front of the house. It came by our back gate & the firemen yelled, "What's going on?!?!" One of the neighbors had call in & said there was a fire in the abandoned house at the end of the street. After explaining to the firemen that we owned the house and were just cleaning up, everything was OK. It was quite humerous!! I really wanted to take a picture, but I'm sure you can understand why I didn't!!

Another traveling day!!

Today was a traveling Sunday! We spent morning church with our friends & family at Fellowship Baptist. Then it was on to Port Charlotte, FL to Victory Baptist Church where his Aunt & Uncle attend. We had a wonderful service. Tim preached on the wolves that come into the church & Mylanie sang a solo. She did a great job & we are so proud of her!! After church we were invited to the home of Norm & Patti Page for a church social. Mrs. Patti plays the handbells all by herself!! Mrs. Patti, myself, & the church pianist (I'm so sorry I forgot your name!!) played an impromtu concert. It was so much fun!!

It's not just us!!!

This is NOT our vehicle. We weren't even driving this one!! This is my brother's truck & we were traveling home from the family retreat. I guess we should be praying for all the vehicles around us, too!!

Fun, Family & Friends Retreat 2009!!

We just finished an awesome family retreat in Branford, FL. We had a great time catching up with friends & family and also learning about the little things in our lives that make the difference--thankfulness & prayer! Tim gave us a lot to think about. I have to say, this was one of the most relaxing retreats we've done. We thank the Lord for a wonderful time of refreshment!

Another Trip...

We arrived safely in GA this morning around 2am. No flat tires this time, just a broken wheel baring! If you are praying for us, please pray for our vehicles, too!! We brought Tim's mom a nice little camper. She's so excited! Now she can visit us and her brothers & sisters in style!!!!

Finished, Signed & Mailed!!

We've FINALLY finished our 501c3 application!! A HUGE thank you to Tony Pandiscia & Langdon & Associates for all their hard work & loads of patience as they explained again & again to us what we needed!!

A New Bed!!

Most of you know that we sold most of our stuff to move up here to NC. Mylanie has been sleeping on a futon bed for the past few months & she really wanted a "real" bed!! This week someone gave her a wonderful bed!! She loves it and it's similar to her old bed! Now, Mommy & Daddy get the futon bed & we retired the air matress!!

Coats Community Church

We had a wonderful time this week at the Jubilee at Coats Community Church. They have become like a second family to us! One of the neat perks of traveling is that we get to catch up with some of the other missionaries and singers that travel too!! A special thanks to Ms. Fran for teaching Mylanie how to backstitch bookmarks!!

AWANA starts!!

I am so excited!! This year I am the Awana director for our church! We've planned lots of fun activities and I'm looking forward to a great year!! This year we are praying especially for 9 of our clubbers to come to Christ. Be on the lookout for some crazy pictures of Mylanie this year!!